The invention pertains to liquid drug medical devices, and needle shield removal devices.
Commonly owned PCT International Application No. PCT/US96/03732 published under PCT International Publication No. WO96/29113 illustrates and describes fluid control devices for administration of liquid drugs. The fluid control devices include inter alia fluid control devices now commercially available from Medimop Medical Projects Ltd, Ra'anana, Israel (www.medimop.com), under the registered trademark MIXJECT®. The MIXJECT® fluid control devices have a longitudinal axis, and include a base member with a syringe port for receiving a syringe, and a dispensing port in the form of a plastic cannula, a needle, and the like. The base member rotatably supports a flow control member with a manually rotatable vial adapter coupled thereto for rotating same between a first flow control position for connecting the syringe port with a vial received within the vial adapter, and a second flow control position for connecting the syringe port with the dispensing port (see WO96/29113's FIGS. 1-19). The vial adapter is preferably screw threadingly detachable from the base member at the second flow control position along a line of detachment transversely directed to the fluid control device's longitudinal axis (see WO96/29113's FIGS. 11-16).
Conventional needles have a female Luer connector for sealingly fitting on conventional syringes having a male Luer connector. Some syringes are made with a syringe tip having a distal end with a projecting lip to positively prevent a conventional needle being mounted thereon. However, such syringes are undesirably precluded from being used with other transfer devices having a female Luer connector, for example, vial adapters commercially available from Medimop Medical Projects Ltd, Ra'anana, Israel. Moreover, conventional needles are often supplied with needle shields for preventing needle sticks injuries. Needle shields are friction fitted on needles and are often difficult to remove in part due to their small dimensions which render them difficult to grasp. Exemplary needle shield removal devices are illustrated and described in inter alia EP 0 518 397 entitled “Device for the removal and replacement of a needle shield”, WO 02/09797 entitled “Pen Needle and Safety Shield System”, and WO2003/051423 entitled “Needle Closure System Removal Device”.